Stars and Constellations
by MBrabs1996
Summary: Gamora has an accident and becomes deathly ill as a result. While nursing his favorite assassin back to health, Peter and Gamora have fallen dangerously in love. Can they handle a relationship with danger lurking around every corner? Or will Gamora let fear get the better of her and let it tear them apart? Please R&R.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey guys! So, here's a Guardian's of the Galaxy fanfiction for y'all! Enjoy!**

**I don't own Marvel.**

Gamora sat with Drax at the front of the Milano, setting the coordinates for Knowhere. Gamora was getting anxious as she wondered where Peter was. They were in Morag, and Peter had left that morning before any of them had woken up and hadn't told them where he intended to go. The place gave Gamora bad memories after everything that had happened several weeks earlier, although Morag was all but deserted now.

"Hey, Gamora! Everyone! Look what I found!" Peter yelled obnoxiously, coming to where Gamora and Drax sat, urging them to stand.

They noticed he held what appeared to be some type of plant.

_That's odd. Morag can barely support much life, let alone strange plants. _She thought as she got up and closed the rest of the distance between them.

"A plant. That's what took you so long?" Gamora asked, raising an eye brow as she examined it. The plant was black...a flower of some sort with strange spikes running up the stems with specks of red. It looked like death.

"What is all the damn commotion?" Rocket asked, coming up from his sleeping quarters.

"I'm Groot." Groot said, joining Rocket.

"I don't want to know where he found it, you big idiot!" Rocket snapped, walking around them and going to the pilots chair.

Gamora sighed and took the plant from Peter as Rocket started the Milano and shifted the ship, making everyone stumble and Gamora fall and drop the pot that held the thing she was holding. Where Peter even got the pot, she didn't want to know.

Rocket!" Drax snapped, steadying himself against the wall, glaring at the raccoon, who glared back.

Peter held a hand out for her and Gamora took it while also putting her other hand down to push her up.

Right onto the plants spikes.

She yanked her hand away and stood up with Quill's help, noticing her hand was bleeding. Badly.

She huffed and retreated to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her and grabbing the first aid kit under the sink. Sitting down on the toilet, she opened the kit and grabbed a pair of silver tweezers and carefully plucked the spikes out of her hand, wrapping her hand in gauze when she was done.

Blood immediately started soaking through the gauze.

_God-dammit. How could such a tiny plant cause so much damage? I am going to kill Peter for bringing that thing back here. _She thought, adding another bandage for good measure, picking up the spikes and throwing them away and cleaning off the tweezers before putting the first aid kit back as she tried to ignore the severe pain in her hand.

_Great. Just great. _

**A/N: I know y'all are probably thinking. "Falling on a plant with thorns was the accident. Seriously?" but the plant has another role in the accident. Don't worry. Please review :) **

**No flames.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey guys! So here's the next chapter! Hope y'all like it.**

Gamora awoke the next morning with severe abdominal pain, feeling as though someone was repeatedly taking a knife and stabbing her before pulling it out slowly, accompanied with nausea. Groaning, she rolled out of bed and stumbled out of her room and into the bathroom, thankful that she didn't have to walk very far as she got ready for the day.

The room was spinning as she undressed, also noticing the bruises on her stomach that hurt like hell when she felt them.

_What the hell is wrong with me? _She thought, grabbing onto the counter to steady herself.

She decided to shrug everything off for now, but a little voice in the back of her head was nagging her. Telling her to go back to Xandar and receive medical attention.

A knock on the door and a voice startled her out of her thoughts.

"Gamora? Are you alright? You've been in there for awhile."

Drax.

"Yes, I-I'm fine. I'll be out in a minute." She answered, quickly changing into a black shirt and black pants.

* * *

She stumbled out of the bathroom several seconds later, trying to pass it off as tripping as she approached Peter and Rocket, who both sat in the pilots chairs, and put a hand on Quill's shoulder, once again to steady herself.

"I'm Groot."

Gamora looked at Groot, who sat in another chair close by, confused.

"He wants to know if you're okay. You've been asleep for most of the day." Rocket said, translating for her.

"Yes I am fine...I slept in?" She asked, once again confused. She never slept in. She was always the first one to wake up.

"Yes, Gamora. You slept half the day away. Several times Peter; well all of us, had to check on you to make sure you were still, well, breathing. We'd expect this from Peter, but not you." Drax said, emerging from the bathroom and joining them.

"I'm Groot." Groot agreed, and Peter grunted, almost as if he too was in pain.

She then realized that he was clutching Peter's shoulder in a death grip, and quickly took her hand off, mumbling a quick apology and taking a few unsteady steps back.

"Sure you're alright?" Rocket asked, trying to mask his concern but failing miserably.

"Yes. I'm certain."

Peter sighed and got up, gesturing to the seat as if he was offering it to her to sit in.

"Come on. You don't look too good, Mora." Peter said, using his pet name for her, concern evident on his features.

He was right.

Gamora looked like death. She didn't look like she usually did, anyway.

The assassin shook her head, refusing to sit as she turned to head back to her bedroom.

What happened next happened so quickly, the group barely had any time to react.

The woman collapsed to the ground, supporting her body weight on her hands and knees, one hand on the ground as she began dry heaving while the other was clutching her stomach.

"I am Groot!" Groot shouted in alarm.

Peter knelt down beside her and helped her up, taking Gamora in his arms as carefully as he could without causing her anymore pain as he placed a hand on her forehead before yanking it away in alarm.

"She has a fever."

"But wasn't she fine yesterday?" Drax asked, his brows creasing in concern as Peter got up, carrying Gamora bridal style, and they all followed him to Gamora's room, carefully setting her on the bed.

Just in time too because Gamora groaned and rolled over, throwing up on the ground.

Everyone looked at each other, concerned at the sight as Gamora tightly shut her eyes and groaned once more before throwing up again.

Gamora was throwing up blood.

**A/N: Let me know what y'all think! Please review :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey guys! So as i'm writing this i'm watching shark week. I have literally ha no social life this whole summer. Just watching shark week, marvel movies, and writing fanfiction. Yep. My life. Any way, enjoy!**

Peter took Gamora's pulse, shocked at just how weak she was. This wasn't good at all. Gamora was shaking, almost as though she was cold, only she wasn't. Her green eyes, usually so full of life and attitude, began to droop and became dull. The life slowly leaving them.

"Hey, Gamora, stay with us. You're going to be alright." Peter says, smoothing back Gamora's black hair that was wet with sweat. She groans once again and grabs Peter's arm in a death grip once more.

Drax kneels down beside her and takes the bandage off her hand, taking a sharp in take of breath. The wound on her hand left by the plant appeared to be infected and still bleeding.

"Groot, go get the first aid kit." Drax ordered, not taking his eyes off the weakened woman who was struggling to stay awake.

"I am Groot." Groot replied, disappearing and coming back moments later with the first aid kit.

Drax opened the kit and took out some anti-septic to try and keep the infection from spreading throughout her body and kept applying pressure to the wound as Gamora began to shake again.

She was in shock and mumbling that she was going to die. No one had seen her so scared before.

"Shh. You're not gonna die." Peter assured her, looking at the others with uncertainty as Drax gave her some medication for the pain.

"I'll set the course for Xandar. They'll take better care of her than we can." Rocket said quietly, leaving the room with everyone following.

Everyone except Peter, anyway.

Gamora was struggling to stay awake.

"Don't worry. You'll be okay. We're going to get you to a Xandarian hospital and they will take good care of you. Just hold on." Peter said, lying down beside her and placing an arm around her shoulders.

"Are you...sure...a'out that?" She gasped, struggling to breathe.

"Positive." He said, slowly leaning down to give her a kiss on the forehead.

Normally, Gamora would have snapped at him or held a knife to his throat, but today she was much too weak to do so. And Peter was scared shitless.

"Do you need anything?" He asked, noticing that she hadn't stopped shaking. Gamora weakly shook her head, causing for him to sigh and sit up, shrugging off his jacket and placing it on top of her.

She didn't say anything as her eyes drifted shut and she fell into a deep sleep, curled against Quill's side.

**A/N: Let me know what y'all think! If you have any predictions, ideas, anything of that sort, feel free to tell me. Please review :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Wow two reviews in one day! Don't get used to it lol.**

Later that night, Quill stood looking through the one way window, watching the doctor run some tests on Gamora.

"You love her." A womans voice says, causing for Peter to turn around to see Nova Prime.

Peter grunted in response and mumbled something unintelligible under his breath as he turned back to the window, "How'd you know we were here?" He asked, sighing.

"We've been keeping a rather close eye on all of you to make sure that none of you steal things or murder anyone." She explained, sighing as she added, "Now answer the question."

Peter sighed, "Yes. I do." He said as a doctor who appeared to be in her mid-thirties came out of the room, closing the door tightly behind her, "How is she?"

The doctor sighed, "We've done the best we can to help her. She's stable, but still in critical condition. The plant that you described has spikes that contain neurotoxins and cytotoxins. Neurotoxins attack the nervous system, which would also explain the severe abdominal pain, nausea, dizziness, the internal bleeding, and we took the bandage off her hand and noticed blisters. Cytotoxins tend to attack the site of the wounds, which also explained why she was still bleeding and the cuts were infected. We've given her some more pain medication and got the internal bleeding under control for now. She's asleep." She explained, hands clasped in front of her.

"When will she wake up?"

"Only time will tell. Her body needs time to dispose of the toxins and recuperate. Could be a couple days from now, or a couple weeks. You may go see her if you'd like." She said, turning on her heel to approach Groot, Drax, and Rocket to alert them of the situation.

Peter sighed and entered the room, briskly walking to Gamora's bed side, taking her hand in his. She looked so peaceful, almost looking as though she was just sleeping and not in any pain at all. The IV's and the machinery in the room said otherwise. Brushing a strand of hair out of her face, he thought back to when he had first met her.

She was beautiful. Far more beautiful than every other girl that he had been with. They had both looked at each other with curiosity, almost as if they were sizing each other up. She had always acted tough, never showing her weaknesses, but Peter knew she had a heart and knew when to drop the tough facade.

He placed a hand on her forehead.

Gamora still had a fever, but it wasn't as bad as the day before.

"You know, I never thought i'd actually get feelings for someone like you. From the minute I saw you, I knew I was screwed." He said, giving her another kiss on the forehead.

"At least we brought her here when we did. The doctor said if we had brought her here a day later, she'd be as good as dead." Drax said, going to the other side of the bed, opposite Peter.

"I'm Groot." Groot agreed, holding out his hand and growing a small flower. Groot picked the tiny flower and tucked it in Gamora's dark hair.

"She's strong. She'll be fine." Rocket said, climbing onto the foot of the bed and sighing.

All they could do was wait.

* * *

Gamora was unconscious and she was sure that she was hovering on the brink of death. It was darkness all around her. She remembered opening her eyes a little bit to see the blurry image of a doctor, who appeared to be in her mid-thirties with blonde hair, sticking a long, clear, cord in her arm, saying, '_You're going to be okay sweetie.' _

She knew she had groaned in response and had tightly shut her eyes again, wanting to snap at the other doctor for treating her like a child.

Now, she could hear the others, mostly Peter, telling her how much he cared about her. She wanted to open her eyes, to wake up and tell him how much she cared for him, only she couldn't.

Her eyes refused to open.

She squeezed his hand in response instead.

She wanted to wake up.

She _needed _to wake up.

**A/N: Let me know what y'all think! Please review :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry this chapter is a little short. Enjoy.**

Gamora slowly opened her eyes, looking around to see she was still in the Xandarian hospital. Rocket was curled up at the foot of the bed while Drax was asleep to her left and Peter to her right. Groot was asleep in a chair by the window.

Gamora slowly sat up, her body screaming in protest. She still had abdominal pain and nausea, but it was minimal, but it wasn't as bad as when she had arrived to the hospital.

Groot was the first to see she was awake.

"I am Groot!" He said excitedly, waking the others.

"Hey, Mora. How do you feel?" Peter asked.

"Better. Still in a little pain and a little tired."

"It's from the medication that the doctors kept giving you for the pain. Should wear off soon. The pain may still be there for a little while longer." Drax said, sighing as he got up to leave the room, probably to get the doctor.

"How long was I asleep?" She asked, looking at the other three.

"You've been out of it for about two weeks...well, in and out of consciousness. This is honestly the first full and longest conversation we had with you. You had a bunch of toxins in your system that you're lucky you're even alive." Rocket explained, getting off the bed as the doctor arrived.

She was a petite woman with her blonde hair pulled into a tight bun, skin so pale she looked like a ghost, and was wearing a white lab coat.

"Hello Gamora. I'm Dr. Camara. How are you feeling dear?" She asked, checking Gamora's pulse and blood pressure.

"Have you been feeling any pain? Nausea?"

"A little, but it's better than before. What happened?"

"You had neurotoxins and cytotoxins in your system due to the plant. The toxins attacked your nervous system and attacked the site of the injury, which is why there were blisters and infection at the site of the wound. We thought we were going to lose you at one point." She explained, sighing, "Your fever finally broke a few days ago and we worked for several hours to keep the internal bleeding under control. Your pulse was barely there and your blood pressure was extremely low. It's been fluctuating between being really high and really low. I'm surprised it's quite normal now." She added, writing down the information on the clipboard.

"When can she leave?" Peter asked, wanting to get out of Xandar as soon as possible.

"In a few days. We would just like to run some more tests to make sure she's out of the woods. However, she'll still need some rests when she leaves. She's still very weak." Dr. Camara said, noticing that Gamora had begun to drift off again.

"I am Groot."

"Of course it's not normal, you moron! What's wrong with her? She's been doing that for the last two weeks."

"Yeah, will she be alright?" Drax asked, gesturing to the woman in concern.

"Unfortunately, she will remain like this for quite some time. It's her body's way of telling her she needs to rest to get the rest of the toxins out of her system. It could last for another few days, or as long as another week. I'll be back to check on her in a couple hours." She explained and left the room, closing the door quietly behind her. Drax, Rocket, and Groot following behind to go get food.

"Peter?" Gamora asked, still half conscious.

"Yes?" He asked, uncertain whether he wanted to know what she was going to tell him.

Gamora weakly raised a hand and hit him in the back of the head. Although she was only half conscious, Peter had to admit that it still hurt when she hit him.

"Don't bring anymore strange plants on the ship. Ever." She said, giving a weak chuckle as she succumbed to sleep once more.

**A/N: Let me know what y'all think! Feel free to comment any ideas for the next chapter, who knows? I might use them. Please review :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: So here is the next chapter! Hope y'all like it!**

**Disclaimer: I still do not own Marvel. *sigh***

True to her word, Dr. Camara released Gamora from the hospital three days later, giving strict orders for Gamora to rest and for the others to bring her back as soon as possible if Gamora was in anymore pain.

Gamora didn't like this plan, to say the least. She was still fighting to stay conscious due to the strong pain medication, but when she was awake she would attempt to sneak out of her room, only for someone, mostly Peter, to pick her up and bring her back to her room.

"This is stupid!" Gamora snapped, crossing her arms as Peter came in, handing her the pain medication.

"I know, but it's only a few more days." Peter said, sighing, "But to make it up to you, also as an apology for bringing such an oh so dangerous plant back, i'm going to bring you on a date."

"A date?" She asked, as though the word was a foreign concept.

"Don't tell me you've never been on a date before?" He stated, making it sound more like a question than a statement as he turned and started rummaging through his knapsack.

"No, I haven't."

_Well, shit. _He thought, sighing and turning back to look at her only to see that Gamora was once again fast asleep.

The next time she awoke, there was a note lying to her right addressed to her. Sighing, she picked up the note and read it.

_Gamora,_

_I'm sorry, but we had to leave to address a situation in Knowhere. We didn't want to wake you because we knew you'd want to come and wouldn't take no for an answer and I didn't want to risk you getting hurt. I know, this was an A-hole move, but we had no choice. You can punch and hit me all you'd like, maybe even remove my spleen when we return. On second thought, don't do that. I want to live for now._

_Be back soon._

_Love,_

_Star-Lord_

Gamora was pissed beyond recognition, but she was too exhausted to throw anything like she normally would, but smiled at how Peter had signed off on the note; _love._ Peter seldom signed off with that word, even when he was flirting with her. Usually he opted to just sign off _Peter _or _Star-Lord._

Groaning, she got out of bed and left her bedroom, knowing this was her only chance to get up and walk around before she'd be forced back to the small room. The main area of the Milano was a mess, almost as if they were looking for something and left in a rush.

_The situation must be pretty bad if they left so quickly. _She thought, sitting in the captains chair clutching the note to her chest as a wave of dizziness hit her.

She wondered how long it would be until she'd get her strength back. Her hand was healing at a fast rate, but it still looked bad. Ragged scars were all over the palm of her hand, and they hurt when she gently brushed against them. It appeared as though the spikes of the plant had punctured right to the bone. The spikes were bigger than they appeared, much to her dismay.

She didn't notice that she had been looking at her hand for a little too long when a voice broke her out of her thoughts.

"Gamora, what are you doing up?"

Drax.

Gamora sighed, "I woke up and wanted to stretch my legs while I had a chance, I guess." She said, standing up and turning to look at them.

Her gaze landed on Peter.

No. Her _glare _landed on Peter.

She was pissed.

**A/N: Let me know what y'all think! Please review :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hey guys here's the next chapter! Sorry this chapter is short! Hope y'all like it.**

Gamora walked briskly over to Peter, grabbing the collar of his jacket and dragging him to her bedroom with Peter trying to keep up with her. With one arm still holding onto Peter, she slammed the door with her other hand.

She finally released Peter, allowing for him to face her, not expecting to receive a slap across the face.

"I." She paused, punching him with both fists as he tried to block her hits, thankful that she didn't go for his face, "Can't." More punches. "Believe you!"

For Peter, that was enough. He grabbed both of her wrists to keep the woman from hitting him again. A struggle ensued, making the two of them fall and land on the bed. Peter landed on top of Gamora, pinning her to the bed but still holding onto her wrists, straddling her.

"Gamora, listen_" He started, only to be cut off by her yelling at him.

"I am not some child. I am not a weakling so why must you treat me as such!?" She yelled, going into a coughing fit.

"Gamora, you're sick. It wouldn't have been safe_"

"Safe? I do not need... to be kept... safe, Quill! If you wish to keep me safe... keeping me here and treating me like... a child... will not help!" She choked through her coughing fit before she finally stopped caughing.

The way that Peter was holding her down hurt and sent shooting pain through her abdomen, but she wouldn't make her pain known to Peter and prove his point. She was panting heavily, exhausted from the struggle that had taken a lot out of her.

"You're not strong enough to fight yet. I'll be damned if you get hurt on my watch!" He snapped, not loosening his grip on her wrists.

"Why...must you care...so much?" She panted, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Because I love you!"

**A/N: Let me know what y'all think! Please review :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry I haven't updated since Friday. I was really tired yesterday because I had work and well, it took a lot out of me. I hope y'all like this chapter. Enjoy.**

For awhile, neither of them said a word.

_Is he serious? Did he just say what I think he said? _She thought, much calmer than she had been moments earlier.

"Alright. Okay. I'm calm." She whispered, her breathing now normal. Peter sighed and let go of her wrists and got off of her, mumbling a quick apology as he averted his gaze and left the room.

Gamora stayed completely still, pondering what to do.

_What are you doing just lying there? Go find him you idiot! _She chastised herself, forcing her body to painfully get up and walk briskly to the main area where she knew Peter was, ignoring the pain in her abdomen. She stopped to see Peter looking down at the table as he nursed a glass of vodka.

She walked up to him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. Peter didn't turn to look at her.

"Peter. Look at me." She said, keeping her voice low so that the others wouldn't hear them.

Peter sighed and stood up, turning to face her with his wary blue eyes.

Gamora took a couple steps forward, closing the gap between the two of them as she wrapped her arms around the older mans neck and kissed him passionately on the lips. He kissed her back almost instinctively, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close so her body was pressed against his, staying like that for several minutes before they both had to pull away for air.

"Would you like to know something? I think I am in love with you too, but I am not quite sure what love is. Would you care to tell me?" She asked, touching her forehead to his.

"It's when you know everything about someone and still want to be with them. It's about trusting them enough to tell them everything about yourself, even the things you're ashamed of. Love is when you feel comfortable enough and safe with that person."

His explanation surprised Gamora. Never had she heard anything so...serious...come out of his mouth.

"Then in that case, I love you, Star-Lord." She said, gently putting her lips to his once more.

"Peter? Gamora?" Drax called, causing for them to pull away as Drax entered, surprised to see Gamora's arms around Peter's neck and Peter holding her around the waist, "Am I interrupting?"

"No, no! I was just teaching Gamora how to is it?" Peter asked, looking at Drax almost in annoyance.

"Rocket, Groot, and myself are going out for supplies. Do you need anything?"

They both shook their heads and Drax left.

"I will be honest, I have never done this before."

"What? A relationship?

Gamora nodded.

"Then just follow my lead. It isn't much different from a friendship to be honest. Just with kissing and dates."

"Well then, when will our first _date _be?" She asked, raising an eye brow at him.

"Soon"

They let go of each other and moved to sit down at the table, Gamora grabbing a glass and the bottle of vodka, pouring some for herself.

"Should you be drinking?"

"I doubt a drink or two will hurt me, Peter." She said, rolling her eyes.

"Let's not tell the others about us. Not yet, anyway."

"Agreed." She said, cringing as she pulled out the chair to sit down.

"Are you okay? Do you want your medicine?" He asked, concern evident in his tone.

"No it makes me too tired. The vodka does a much better job." She explained, downing her first glass of vodka, relief washing over her when the pain slowly ebbed away. She poured herself another glass.

It was then that Peter started laughing hysterically.

"What? What is so funny?" She asked, raising the glass to her lips as she leaned back in her chair.

He continued laughing for several more minutes before he composed himself.

"The _pain medication _that you've been taking is actually a tranquilizer medication to make you sleep."

"Oh you must be joking!" She snapped, glaring at him with her green eyes.

"Nope! Denarian Dey gave it to Dr. Camara to give to me and said and i'm quoting him, "_to make her easier to deal with." _They were really to make you sleep and make the pain more bearable.

Gamora sighed. Oh she was going to kill both of them when she got the chance.

* * *

The two of them continued drinking for quite some time, Gamora having finished two whole bottles of vodka and was now heavily drunk, Peter didn't have nearly as much to drink. He didn't exactly feel like waking up with a hangover tomorrow. Neither paid any attention when Rocket came in and saw them laughing at the table, calling them a couple of _"drunken idiots" _when it was really only Gamora who was drunk.

Gamora got up and stumbled to the cabinet to get another bottle.

"Oh no. You've had enough to drink tonight!" Peter reprimanded, getting up and picking her up around the waist and sitting her back down.

"Bu' Peter."

"You're drunk. You're not drinking anymore."

"I no' drunk. 'm f'ne." She slurred, hiccuping in response.

"_Hey idiots! It's late so get your asses to bed!" _Rocket called from his room.

Peter looked at the time on the monitor that was between him and Gamora to see it was well passed midnight.

"Rocket's right. We should go to bed."

Gamora thought about it for a minute, "Hm...a'ight." She said, and got up.

She barely made it to the stairs before she tripped and grabbed onto the wall to steady herself, laughing hysterically.

Peter sighed and walked up behind her and picked her up bridal style.

"Not drunk my ass. You can barely stand let alone walk!"

Gamora giggled in response. Yeah. She giggled. The ex-assassin really was that drunk.

He sighed again as they entered Gamora's room, placing her on the bed, pulling the covers over her and rolled her over to the left incase she threw up so she wouldn't suffocate on her own vomit.

He pulled the covers over her and kissed her temple and turned to leave.

"Peter?"

He turned back to look at her.

She hiccuped, "Can you stay?" She asked, forming the first coherent sentence that he could understand.

Peter nodded and climbed into the bed, lying next to the woman and putting an arm around her to pull her close.

Gamora finally fell asleep several minutes later curled into Peter's side, her right arm lying across his torso with her head on his chest as she listened to the rhythm of his heartbeat.

**A/N: Yeah, this is my attempt at a drunk Gamora lol. Let me know what y'all think. Please review :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hey guys. Here's the next chapter!**

Gamora awoke the next morning with a killer headache. It felt as though someone had bashed her head into a wall. She groaned and rolled over, coming face to face with Peter.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty." Peter greeted, smirking at her.

"What happened?" She asked, having almost no recollection of the night before. All she really remembered was kissing Peter and then...nothing.

"You got smashed last night."

"Smashed? I do not recall getting into any quarrels last night."

Peter sighed, "No, I mean you got drunk. You drank two whole bottles of vodka before I had to cut you off. You could barely walk." He explained, brushing a strand of dark hair out of her face.

Well, at least her stomach didn't hurt anymore.

She groaned and rolled back over, tightly shutting her eyes to will the headache to go away. Peter chuckled and kissed her on the temple before he left the room, returning moments later with the first aid kit. He opened the kit and took out two pills and a small bottle of water. Gamora took the bottle of water but looked at the pills warily.

"Don't worry. They're not sleeping pills this time."

She cautiously took the pills and swallowed them with the water. Peter took back the bottle of water and took an ice pack out in it's place and handed it to her, placing it on her forehead before he helped her up and they walked to the meeting area.

"Good morning, Gamora. How is your stomach?" Drax asked, looking at Gamora as she sat down.

"Better. Now I have a splitting headache." She said, leaning back in her seat, not daring to take the ice pack off her forehead.

"I am Groot."

"She didn't hit her head you moron! She's hungover!" Rocket snapped.

"Perhaps some tea would help, Gamora." Drax said, getting up and leaving, only to return with the tea in question.

"Thank you, Drax." She said, taking the mug with her free hand and sipping the hot liquid.

Peter reached behind him into the drawer and took out a piece of paper and a pen, scribbling something on the paper. With no one looking, he passed it to Gamora, who took the note and temporarily put the ice pack and the tea down and read the note under the table.

_**So how about that date tonight? **_

Gamora looked up to meet Peter's gaze and gave him a soft smile, nodding her head in response.

"What the hell are you two smiling at like a couple of jackasses?"

"Nothing." Gamora said, taking another sip of her tea as everyone shrugged and went about their business.

* * *

By the time it was time for the date, Gamora's headache was gone thanks to the pills that Peter gave her. For this date, her hair was pulled back into a braid with two smaller braids dangling parallel to each side of her face, similar to the hairstyle she had when they were in the Kyln. She wore a black, long sleeved v-neck shirt that hugged her torso perfectly along with her signature black pants and boots. Peter was in his usual get up, minus the jacket and it actually looked like he had brushed his hair.

"What did you tell them?" She asked, taking his hand as they walked through the small town of Halfworld, going by several shops before they got to the restaurant.

"Oh, I sent them out for more supplies and a pretty complicated scavenger hunt. Should give us a few hours of alone time." He said as they were lead to their table.

Several of the patrons sent venomous glares in Gamora's direction, but none dared to make a move. At least, not while she was with someone. They sat down at a table by the window on the second floor where they had a overview of the place.

"How did you find out about this place?"

"A couple of locals recommended it." He said as a waitress came over to help them.

"Hello, my name is Irena. What can I get for the lovely couple to drink?" She asked, taking out some type of tablet.

"I'll just have some tea." She answered, briefly making eye contact with the waitress.

"And for you, sir?"

"I'll just have some water."

The waitress typed their orders into the tablet and left, telling them that she would return shortly.

"Not drinking tonight?"

Peter shook his head, "Nah. I don't drink too much anyway, believe it or not."

The waitress returned with their drinks and took their meal orders before she took their menus and left them alone once again.

"So, tell me something about yourself."

Gamora sighed, "Well, I can kill someone forty-five different ways with just my bare hands." She said, taking a sip of her tea.

"Tell me something I don't know."

"I once went three days without sleep."

Peter gawked at her, "How the hell did you manage that?"

"After my parents died and Thanos started torturing me, I would not sleep for some time for fear that if I closed my eyes I would not wake up."

"Tell me about your parents. Your real parents."

Gamora was about to say something when their dinner arrived. She mumbled a quick thank you and nodded to the waitress, willing for her to leave. Thankfully, she got the hint.

"Well, my father loved me and my sister. He was a nice man, self less. He loved to help others in their time of need. He always let me climb into bed with him and mother when I had nightmares. My mother was a great woman. I would help her prepare meals, and she'd even sing me to sleep. Mother is...was...a very beautiful woman."

"Just like you."

"Thank you, Peter." She said, smiling at him with a warm, genuine smile.

"You should smile more. You have a beautiful smile."

* * *

Throughout the rest of the night, they ate and talked, shared some laughs. They actually felt comfortable with each other.

"Wait...you are not joking?"

"I am dead serious. I once got so drunk that I took a shower in my clothes. I'm surprised I remembered to take my walkman out of my pocket.

Gamora had to choke back a laugh.

"Go ahead, make fun of me."

"If it will make you feel better, I once spent two days trapped in a wooden crate."

Now it was Peter's turn to laugh at her. He'd have to get that story from her another day.

* * *

They returned back to the Milano to find their friends had still not returned.

"Guess the scavenger hunt was more complicated than I thought it would be." He said, shrugging as he took out his 'awesome mix vol. 1' and put it in the small radio and _Hooked on a feeling _started playing, "Dance with me." He added, holding out a hand for her.

She took his hand and he pulled her close.

"I do not know how."

"Well, first, place your hands on my shoulders."

Gamora did as he said and Peter placed his hands on her waist.

"Then we kind of just move along to the beat." He said, and they both started swaying to the beat of the music.

Peter lifted one hand from her waist and took one of her hands from his shoulder, spinning her around gently and pulling her back in close.

Gamora leaned in and kissed Peter passionately on the lips. A kiss that grew very heated very fast and without realizing it, they had both made their way to his bedroom, falling onto the bed as Gamora attempted to remove Peter's shirt.

Oh no. He was not going to fuck this up by sleeping with her on the first date.

"Gamora.." He trailed off when she trailed an index finger down his jaw, stopping at his bottom lip as she kissed him again.

"Yes, Star-Lord?" She asked, flashing him a seductive smile as he sighed in defeat.

"Ah fuck it"

**A/N: Let me know what y'all think. Please review :)**

**P.S. I have also realized that the title, "Gamora's accident" doesn't seem very fitting anymore. If anyone has any fitting titles, leave them in a review and I will put them in a hat and draw one out of it. Only fair way to choose xD**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hey guys! Here is the next chapter, I hope y'all like it. Sadly, I still do not own Marvel :(****And as you can see I have changed the title to _Stars and Constellations!_****It was the name I picked out of the hat. Enjoy!**

Rocket, Groot, and Drax got back to the ship not long after Gamora and Peter had returned.

"Those two are jackasses, sending us on a stupid scavenger hunt. I am going to kill them!" Rocket growled, watching as Drax went to Gamora's room, opening the door to see that the woman wasn't there. The bed hadn't even been slept in.

He closed the door and returned to where Rocket and Groot stood.

"Gamora is not in her sleeping quarters."

"Where else would she be?"

"I am Groot."

"Why the fuck would she be in Quill's room?" Rocket asked, giving him a '_you're a fucking fucktard' _look.

"I am Groot."

"No you don't have to spell it out for me!"

* * *

Oblivious to the fact that their friends had returned and we're not very happy with them. Gamora lay with her head on Peter's chest as Peter played with a strand of her hair. They were both sweating and panting heavily.

"You okay?" Peter asked, looking at Gamora.

"Yes. I am fine."

Peter sighed, "I promised myself I wouldn't sleep with you on the first date."

"Well if I recall, you were a willing participant." She said, meeting his gaze and smirking at him.

"You're impossible to refuse."

Gamora didn't have time to say anything else when the door opened to reveal a very pissed off Rocket.

"Oh. Just friggin' great. They're mating!"

"Oh hey Rocket! We can totally explain this...you see uhm, Gamora here was...ah fuck it. I've got nothing."

"Put some clothes on! You two whores have five minutes!" Rocket snapped, turning and leaving the room. Gamora sighed before she started laughing.

"Why are you laughing? He just called you a whore."

"Yes, but did you not see his face?"

_We're screwed._

* * *

Not even ten minutes later, Peter and Gamora sat in the ships meeting area on the chairs. Gamora was wearing one of Peter's black t-shirts and grey sweat pants while Peter was shirtless with navy blue sweatpants.

"Why the hell would you two send us on a wild goose chase on a near impossible scavenger hunt so the two of you could fuck!?"

"It was Peter who sent you on the scavenger hunt. Not I."

"And I would just like to point out that Gamora instigated it." Peter added, earning a glare from Gamora.

"I am Groot."

"They love each other _now _but if they break up or this A-Hole," He started, gesturing to Peter, "Cheats on her, the whole team will be ripped apart!"

"Woah woah woah! Who said anything about cheating?" Peter asked, standing up and glaring down at Rocket.

"It's in your nature!"

"Okay, that is so not what is going to happen here! We're not going to break up. If we do, I guarantee that that won't be the reason and we'll work through it as a team...friends. But it really isn't any of your business!"

"I am Groot."

"Thank you, Groot! At least someone agrees with me!"

Rocket still spent the better part of two hours lecturing them. The two of them felt like they were teenagers being scolded by an angry parent after getting caught and were now getting a lecture about the importance of safe sex. Drax just stood off to the side shaking his head at his friends.

"Are you done?" Peter asked, putting his head in his hands.

Rocket sighed and went back to his room, shouting, _"If she gets pregnant, you're on your own!" _Confusing the two of them.

"Where has he gotten that idea from?"

Peter shrugged, "Who knows? It's Rocket we're talking about."

Drax finally looked at the two, sighing.

"You two are imbeciles."

**A/N: Let me know what y'all think! Please review :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Well, here's another chapter! This may be my last update for the next two weeks because I am going to a cabin in Canada and there will be no wifi there, but I will try to get wifi hotspots and update. Enjoy!**

The day was very tense to say the least. Everyone was walking on egg shells around Rocket and were being strangely quiet., which added to the tension.

"Alright, this has to stop!" Peter exclaimed, putting his hands up in frustration.

"I am Groot." Groot agreed.

"Just because Gamora and I are a thing now doesn't mean it's going to interfere on missions. So all of you need to build a bridge and get over it!"

Drax looked confused.

"Building bridges? What does that have to do with the situation at hand?"

"Metaphor!" Peter snapped, rubbing his temples to will away the headache that was beginning to form.

"Peter is right. It is most frustrating." Gamora said, crossing her arms. She was in her usual black attire now, knowing that wearing Peter's clothes wouldn't help the situation at hand, "What everyone needs to do is apologize."

Rocket sighed, "Fine! I am sorry that I lost my shit and called you two whores. There, happy?"

"Very. And we're also sorry." Peter said, mumbling a quick, 'not really' under his breath so that only Gamora could hear.

Drax looked like he was about to say something before an obnoxious beeping sound took over from the communication screen on the table.

"It's Nova Prime." Peter said, pressing a button and Nova Prime appeared onto the bigger screen behind where Gamora was sitting.

"Oh good. All of you are here...Gamora, we have leads on your sister, Nebula and Thanos." She explained.

Gamora's breath hitched in her throat, surprised but quickly recovered.

"What about them?" Gamora asked, standing up and facing the screen.

"She's after something. I have reason to believe that it's a skrelton necklace. Having this gives someone the power to shape shift into other people, people you know. Friends, family, you name it. They also give the person who wears it complete power. Power that no one has even seen before." She said, and looked as though she had a file on her desk. She opened the manila folder and held up the picture for all of them to see it.

The necklace looked almost like a skull and cross bones and in place of the eyes were ruby red gems.

"Gamora, it has also come to my attention that you may know where it is. That it had been in your possession several years ago."

Gamora sighed and tightly shut her eyes before opening them once more.

"Yes. I have hidden it."

"You've hidden it where?"

"With a friend. Somewhere that even Nebula would not dare look."

"But Gamora, it is important that_" Nova Prime started, only to be cut off by someone turning off the communicator and hanging up on her.

"You alright?" Peter asked, looking at her in concern.

"Yes. I am fine. I just need to sit down." She said, turning back around to pull out the chair and sit back down.

"You gave a necklace...to a friend? Who?"

"You have friends?" Rocket asked, earning a glare from everyone else.

"I gave it to a friend on Earth."

"Wait...when were you on Earth?"

Gamora sighed and folded her hands in front of her, "A few years ago. Thanos sent Nebula and I on a mission and my friend was told by her superior to investigate us. I had found the necklace several months earlier and had always kept it close by so Nebula would not discover it. I went through several hours of interrogations. Nebula abandoned me to deal with it alone and the two of us became good friends."

"What's her name? Wait...you were interrogated? Does this friend work for some type of top secret government agency?"

"I would not say it is secret, but yes."

"Does this friend have like a 'shoot first, ask questions later' attitude?"

"Yes."

"Was this friend named Maria? And does she work for a place named SHIELD?"

Gamora gawked at him before she stood up on shaky legs.

"How did you know that?"

"I also met her under very similar circumstances about five years ago. It's a long story. Why'd you give her the necklace? Her of all people?"

"I knew that Maria would be able to keep it safe. I also knew that Nebula would not think of going to Earth. Or checking Earth," She started, and then her face dropped to a frown as she met everyones gaze, "If my sister is after this...if she finds out that it is on Earth, Maria and her own family will pay the price. She can't_"

Gamora was cut off by Drax.

"Don't worry, Gamora. I am sure Earth is far from Nebula's mind."

Gamora nodded and got up, leaving the room and the Milano and went towards the town, unaware she was being watched.

Angry blue eyes watched Gamora intensely as she made her way through town.

"She is alone. We should attack while we still can." A man told the other figure.

"No. We must wait." The woman said, her voice stern.

"But she is_"

"Silence, Nikolai! We must wait. We will strike when she is weakened!" Nebula snapped, briefly turning to glare at her companion before she returned her gaze to watch her sister.

Nebula watched as Gamora took a seat on a nearby bench with her head in her hands.

"Soon, sister. Soon we will meet again and I will get that necklace at last."

**A/N: Let me know what y'all think! Please review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hey guys! I am back from Canada! Let me tell you, being in a cramped car for two days in the very back seat with a dog? Not fun! Anywho, I wrote several chapters, all of which will be up later this week! Enjoy!**

Gamora got back to the Milano in a rush and went over to the table where the communicator was and started entering numbers into it from the key pad.

"What are you doing?" Peter asked, raising an eye brow at her.

"I must speak with Maria." She said, not looking at him as she continued to type.

Peter sighed, "Okay, but I don't think it's possible to contact someone from space."

Gamora gave him a look as if she took that as a challenge before turning back to look at the screen, pressing one final button and the screen flashed a sentence that said;

_Calling Maria Hill._

Peter was dumbfounded as his girlfriend gave him an _'I told you so' _look and Maria appeared on the larger screen in front of them. The SHIELD agent appeared to have been getting ready for bed or something and was holding an infant that must have been no older than three or four months old.

"_Gamora? This is an unexpected surprise.." _Maria said, still very confused. Peter was more confused as to how Maria was able to even answer the call.

_Must be a special program on her computer or something. _He thought, walking up to where Gamora stood in the communicator's view.

"_And Peter...why am I not surprised? How are my oh-so-favorite intergalactic people doing?" _She asked half sarcastically, sighing.

"We are well, Maria. I am calling for urgent matters concerning the Skreleton necklace. Where is it?"

"_The necklace has not left my sight since the day you gave it to me. Why do you ask?"_

Gamora was about to respond when there was a scream in the back ground coming from Maria's side of the communicator and a girl, no older than sixteen that looked almost like Maria's "Mini-me", holding a little blonde headed childs hand came and sat down next to Maria.

"_Yay my favorite people! I see you two finally met!" _The teen quipped. The two of them finally recognized her as Maria's younger half-sister, Emily. She looked just like Maria right down to her personality, but at least she knew when to have some fun.

"Yes, we have, Emily. Geez, last I saw you, you were eleven! You got so big!" Peter said, only to earn a glare in response as Emily huffed and picked up the little girl with one arm and took the baby out of Maria's arms with the other before leaving the view of the communicator, "Was it something I said?"

"_She's a teenager." _Maria said with a sigh.

"Well, when I said 'big' I meant big as in tall and older! Not big as in fat!"

Gamora rolled her eyes, "Worry about that later! Maria, my sister, Nebula, you remember her, don't you?"

"_How could I not? She tried to kill me when I tried to get you two to come back to SHIELD with me for questioning. At least you got knocked out by one of our knock-out grenades. For Nebula, I had to call back up and even then she still got away."_

"Yes, and I apologize for that. Nebula is after the necklace...she knows...she is assuming that it is still in my possession."

Maria sighed, _"I can assure you that it is somewhere safe. I will die before I let your sister get her hands on it."_ She explained, rubbing her grey eyes tiredly.

"You look tired." Peter said before Gamora could respond, hoping to distract her so she wouldn't worry about the situation as much as she has been.

"_Well, it's just me and Emily here at the tower watching a four month old, a four-year-old, and a dog. Everyone else is out of town and won't be back until later this week and next week. My only reprieve is when i'm at work during the week. Quite frankly, i'm ready to kill someone. Preferably Emily or the dog."_

"What? Did they get sick of you or something?" He asked, only to get punched in the arm by Gamora.

"_No. Steve and his team are on a mission in Guam. Pepper took Betty and Jane with her on business to Malibu. And no, they didn't leave me to babysit. I offered." _Maria said, pursing her lips as Emily briefly came back into view, saying something along the lines of, _'No, she get's lonely so she makes us all sleep with her in her room. If she even sleeps at all.' _which got something thrown at her and an obscene gesture before Emily ran off, _"My father watches them while i'm at work." _

"He is not in the crazy place anymore?"

Maria tightly shut her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, tempted to cut the connection.

"_Firstly, it was rehab for his alcohol and drug problems following my step-moms death. Secondly, no he isn't." _She said, getting up and leaving the view of the camera, returning moments later with a glass and a bottle of scotch, pouring herself some before she put it to the side and sat back down, _"The girls will all be back next week. The team...the Avengers, get back on Wednesday."_

"Are you seriously drinking?"

"_Emily is putting the kids to bed. So yes I am. If you had to deal with these kids, alone, you'd be drinking at the end of the day too." _She said, mumbling something about understanding why her father turned to alcohol and her own mothers death.

"Well, whatever you do, don't kill Emily or the dog! A negotiation could be made for which kid goes." Peter said, attempting to make a joke, only to be punched again.

"That is awful! Why would she let Emily or the animal live but not the kids?"

_At least she's distracted. _Peter thought before he himself let out a sigh, "I don't see why she'd even consider killing any of them. Babysitting looks pretty easy." He said, only to be laughed at by the two.

"Peter, it is not as easy as it looks!" Gamora said, leaning against the table and smirking at him, her arms crossed.

Peter looked at her, "How do you know?"

Gamora only nodded her head in the direction of the communicator, where Maria was already on her second glass of shot.

_Damn. She must be pretty irritated if she's drinking._

Maria had told him that she rarely drank despite being twenty-one when the two of them had met.

"I'll have both of you know that I can so babysit!"

"_It's mainly Pepper and Tony's son. He hasn't been sleeping much lately, but Peter...is that a challenge? You think you can survive watching two kids?"_

"Yep."

Maria smirked, _"Interesting," _She said, bringing the glass to her lips and taking a sip of the scotch.

Gamora sighed, "Any way, if the necklace does happen to go missing or you see Nebula_" She started, only for Maria to cut her off.

"_You will be informed immediately."_

"I guess we will be in contact."

Maria nodded and set the glass to the side, _"Yes we will. Oh, and don't be a stranger. If you are ever in the area, feel free to drop by for a visit."_

"We will. Congratulations are in order as well." Gamora said, lifting up her left hand and pointing to the ring finger, indicating she saw the agents engagement ring.

Maria was about to say something else when Emily came back into view.

"_Alright, it's time for bed! Bye! Don't do drugs, don't drink and drive, practice safe sex and everything else that they teach you in school but you completely disregard! Oh, and watch what you eat too!" _

With that, the screen went black.

"So, you noticed the ring too?"

Gamora nodded and turned her head to look at him, clasping her hands in front of her, "You angered Emily. You should not have done that...did you sleep with her?"

Peter gawked at Gamora, briefly thinking that she meant Emily, but realized that she was talking about Maria.

"Yes."

Gamora punched him in the arm again.

"I was kidding! God no! I didn't sleep with her!"

"Good."

"Doesn't mean I didn't try though."

Another punch, this time it was much harder.

"You need to learn to take a friggin joke! She actually threatened me."

"What did she say?"

"She straight up said, '_if you try anything I will cut your dick off.' _I didn't want to test the threat."

"Smart." She said, sighing.

"This blows. My second favorite person in the whole galaxy is pissed at me all because she's a hormonal teenage girl and thinks I called her fat." He said, and Gamora turned her whole body to look at him this time.

"Second favorite? Who is the first?"

Peter turned to look at her, brushing a strand of her hair out of her face.

"A certain assassin." He answered, gently grabbing her face in his hands and kissing her. Gamora got the hint and pulled away, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"What is she like?" She said, humoring him.

"She's smart. Beautiful. Fierce. Lethal." He said, giving her a kiss after each adjective, placing each kiss on her nose, forehead, and cheek, placing the last kiss on her lips.

Gamora deepened the kiss, only pulling away when Rocket made his presence known.

"I don't need to see that! Get a room!"

Peter sighed and Gamora rolled her eyes.

"We need to get him a girlfriend."

"Agreed."

**A/N: Let me know what y'all think! Please review :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Well, here is the next chapter. Sorry that I didn't update yesterday. I was exhausted. Enjoy.**

The rest of the week went by with ease. There was no word from Nebula or Maria in regards to the necklace that was hidden, but everyone knew it wasn't going to be like that forever. Gamora awoke in the middle of the night hearing a strange sound from outside. She didn't exactly know what it was that woke her, but she didn't like it. Especially since it was 3 AM.

Sighing, she got up and put her boots on and grabbed her dagger from her dresser, leaving the ship and carefully trying not to wake the others as she did so. Gamora walked a little ways out of the view from the Milano, holding her silver dagger in her hand as the small town came into view. There was not a soul in sight.

She quickly looked around, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of black and didn't even have time to react before she was knocked off her feet. The dagger she had been holding cut her hand, causing her to hiss in pain as it dropped to the ground. She kicked her attacker away from her with a swift kick to the stomach and she got up, picking the knife up as she ran towards the town in hopes of out running him.

There was no way that she was going to lead him to the others.

The attacker was too quick for her and knocked her off her feet once again, causing for her to fall onto her front and drop the knife once more. She knew that her attacker was male simply from the amount of weight being pressed onto her backside as he pinned her in place with his legs, wrapping the crook of his elbow around her in a choke hold.

"P-" She tried to call out, but he only held on tighter, cutting off her air supply.

"Be silent!" He snapped, keeping his voice low.

Gamora's eyes widened as she recognized the voice.

Nikolai.

The assassin let out a groan of pain as something sharp was pressed into the side of her neck. The last thing she remembered was hearing Nikolai mumble something that sounded almost like an apology, and him picking her up as her vision blurred and everything went black.

* * *

Peter awoke that morning with a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Looking around, he noticed that Gamora wasn't in the room, which was odd. Usually since she was the first to wake, she would always come into his room to lie down with him until he woke. He didn't know why, but his first instinct was to go to his girlfriends room across the hall. Slowly, he opened the door to her room to see that it was vacant.

Her bed had definitely been slept in, that much he was certain of. However, her shoes were gone and so was her knife, but other than that it looked as though she had just upped and left without taking any of her belongings. It was as if she had just vanished into thin air.

"Everyone wake up!" He ordered, going into everyones room and waking them. Quite rudely, which wasn't like Peter at all.

"Someone better be dying!" Rocket snapped, coming into the common room with the other two.

"Gamora's missing. I went into her room and none of her stuff was missing. No clothes. No units. Nothing but her knife and shoes. It's like she just vanished into thin air."

"It is not possible to vanish into thin air." Drax said, sighing as he added, "She could not have gone far. Perhaps she has gone into town for supplies."

"I am Groot." Groot said in agreement.

Everyone left the ship without even bothering to get changed out of their pajamas, calling out for Gamora as they slowly approached town. Not only was Peter worried, but the others were beginning to become concerned as well. This was not like Gamora. He sighed and looked down at his feet, about to have a melt down when something shimmering caught his eye. The former out-law crouched down and picked up the small, silver, diamond object. It was a ring! Not just any ring. It was Gamora's ring! He remembered that she had worn it the very first time that the group had gone to Knowhere to meet the collector.

Peter held it tightly in his hand and got up, taking several more steps before he saw a few, dark red drops, followed by a knife. He recognized it immediately as Gamora's.

Gamora was missing and she was hurt.

* * *

Gamora groaned and weakly sat up, holding her aching head before she took her hand away and saw blood on it. The cut on her hand hurt like hell as did her neck where Nikolai stabbed her with something sharp. It definitely wasn't a knife he stabbed her with. That much she was certain of. There was a dark red spot on her black t-shirt, which she pulled up to reveal another cut.

_Must have cut myself again when I was pulled to the ground. _She thought and looked around. It was a stone cold cell she was in, looking almost like the inside of a cave. Her eyes widened in recognition and fear. She was on Titan.

"Glad to see you're awake." An all too familiar voice said from the other side of the dark, damp cell. Gamora turned to the sound of the voice and backed up so she had her back pressed up against the wall.

Nebula.

**A/N: Let me know what y'all think! Please review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: So, here's the next chapter! Sorry if it's not as good as the others. A certain green-skinned assassin gets hurt. You have been warned.**

Nebula smirked at her sister's fearful expression, knowing that the drug Nikolai injected into Gamora was doing it's work. Gamora's expression quickly went from fearful to angry.

"Where is it?" Nebula asked, slowly approaching her sister.

"Where is what?" Gamora asked, pretending that she didn't have a clue of what the other woman was talking about. She would die before Nebula got her hands on that necklace. Nebula slapped Gamora with a force so great that Gamora was knocked backwards, hitting her head on the wall.

"Do not play stupid! The Skreleton necklace! I know it is in your possession!"

Gamora felt scared of Nebula and she had no idea why. Gamora had never been scared of her sister, but now all she wanted to do was cower in fear. She didn't show her fear; she remained stoic.

"I do not have it." She said truthfully, looking Nebula in the eye.

"Then who does?"

"I do not know." Gamora answered, only to be met with another blow to the face.

"Don't lie! You've given it to someone! Who?" Nebula asked, grabbing a fist full of Gamora's dark hair and forcing her to her feet, a knife to Gamora's throat.

"You won't kill me. If you do, you won't find it. Not that you will find it."

Nebula chuckled darkly, pressing the knife harder against Gamora's throat, drawing a little blood.

"You will die here either way. No one will find you. Not alive, however." She said, shoving her back to the ground.

"You are wrong. By now Peter and our friends have realized that I have disappeared. For all we know, they could be on their way."

Nebula threw her head back and laughed, "Ha! I can understand the stupid tree, furry rodent, and the other freak, but what makes you think he will risk his life to save you? He will use you to get what he desires and abandon you like all the rest! Not that you will be alive for much longer." She said, looking back towards the cell door before she looked back at her sister to meet her gaze.

Gamora said nothing, only looked down at her lap, avoiding Nebula's glare.

"Unless," She started, closing the distance and crouching down where Gamora sat. Gamora slowly looked up, but quickly looked away, almost as if she was...ashamed? Maybe. Did she regret any of it? No. Not one bit. "You traitorous whore!" Nebula growled, slapping Gamora for the third time in less than ten minutes.

Once again, she lifted her sister to her feet, "Then he is definitely not coming." She stated, taking Gamora by both her arms and throwing her across the cell. The assassin hit the other wall full force before she landed back on the floor with a loud _thud. _Gamora groaned and tried to sit up, but excruciating pain shot through her entire torso in protest.

Something was definitely broken, but she still tried her best to get up and crawl away from her sisters wrath. She lifted up her left leg in an attempt to kick Nebula away, only for Nebula to grab it and twist it roughly as she shoved Gamora back into the wall.

There was a loud crack followed by a 'pop' and tearing sound in her knee, causing for her to cry out in pain. Nebula grabbed Gamora by both her shoulders and pulled her up, holding her by her throat against the wall. With her right knee, the green woman sent a blow into Nebula's face. Nebula released her hold in shock and pain, dropping her sister to the ground.

Just that one hit took a toll on her, giving Nebula enough time to recover before she once again lifted Gamora up and threw her.

Gamora lay in the fetal position on the floor as Nebula repeatedly sent blows right into her torso, head, and face before she grabbed both of Gamora's legs, turning her over so that she was on her back, holding a knife to her throat once more.

"You slept with the enemy! Slept with a man who will no sooner abandon you than your parents did! Where is it?" She asked, having no more patience. Not that she had any patience to begin with.

"With...with a friend." Gamora choked, curling up in submission, knowing that she wouldn't survive another beating as severe as this one.

"Name!"

"I-I would sooner...die...than let you get that necklace."

Nebula smirked, "Well, let's see what our father has to say about that."

Nebula got up and left the room, allowing Gamora to curl up in a ball on the floor.

For the first time since Ronan, Gamora allowed herself to cry.

**A/N: Let me know what y'all think! Please review :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: So here's the next chapter and I hope y'all like it. Sorry if it's short. My mother and I went to see "If I Stay" last night just to get out of the house...that movie was possibly more depressing than The Fault in Our Stars. My God. Anyway, enjoy.**

Meanwhile, the Milano was en route to where Gamora was being held.

"So tell us. How is it you know where she is?" Drax asked, giving Peter an inquisitive look.

"Oh when she was sick I may or may not have asked the doctors to place a tracker in her..." Peter said, trailing off as he rubbed the back of his neck and looked around the room.

"Wait...you _chipped _Gamora?" Rocket asked in disbelief, turning to look at the half terran.

"Yeah. The doctors gave it to her the same way that you would give a shot or a sedative. Put it into the vein in the crease of her elbow."

Rocket sighed, "And the overly attached boyfriend award goes to..."

It was silent after that with Peter retreating to his bedroom, sitting on his bed and holding the ring in his hand. It was the only thing he had left of Gamora aside from the knife. The small ring had several small diamonds around it, very similar to a wedding band. Perhaps even a promise ring, and it shone brightly when the light hit it just right. Peter sighed and put the ring in his pocket, pulling out the knife next.

The knife was washed clean of blood now and it was a pure, sharpened, silver blade with a black hilt, the blade having several symbols on it. One of the symbols even looked to be the crescent shape of a moon along with a foreign language that he couldn't quite understand.

"I am Groot." Groot said from the door way, moving to sit beside Peter.

"What if she's dead?" Peter asked softly, "What if she told Nebula where it was?" He said, sighing before he put the knife back in his coat pocket with the ring.

"I am Groot!" Groot protested, growing a small flower, a daisy, on one of his branches and plucking it, handing it to Peter.

"He's right. Gamora is a lot of things but she ain't stupid! She would die before giving away that information." Rocket said as he and Drax joined them, Rocket sitting on the floor at Peter's feet.

"We will get her back. Gamora will be fine." Drax assured him, sitting to Peter's left. Peter looked down and smiled sadly at the small flower that he held.

"Anyway, we came to get you to tell you that we were here."

Peter sighed, "Alright. Let's do this."

* * *

Gamora had felt as if hours had passed while waiting for Nebula to return with Thanos, but it had really only been minutes. She pain stakingly lifted her head when the cell door opened. She was still curled up in a ball holding her stomach, dark red blood staining her hands and every other part of her body. Where so much blood was coming from, she had absolutely no idea, but she had a feeling that only Nebula was able to hit her that hard. Standing in the door way with Nebula and Thanos was Nikolai, the very same man that had ambushed her in half world. He was wearing a black cloak, and even looked terran, almost like Peter. It was the white hair, the red eyes, and the deathly pale skin that indicated he was far from it.

Nikolai's red eyes watched everything with curiosity. He met Gamora's lingering gaze and gave her a look of sympathy and apology, but he quickly turned his gaze to Nebula, giving her a look of horror.

Gamora remembered Nikolai all too well. He was the first and only one to befriend her when she had first come to Titan. He trained with her and Nebula and the two had even made him a ring to signify their friendship. A silver one similar to one of the many she wore on her hand. She had put it on a chain so he could wear it as a necklace of sorts. Nikolai in turn had made her a dagger. He met her gaze once more and pulled a chain with a silver ring out of his cloak, just enough for her to see.

So he _did _remember.

Thanos looked at his youngest daughter before turning to his oldest.

"What have you done to her? I told you to be easy on her." Thanos said, giving Nebula a disapproving look.

"She has lay with the enemy, father. She has also refused to say where the skreleton is." Nebula explained, looking Thanos in the eyes.

Thanos turned his gaze to where Nikolai stood.

"Leave us. I must have a word with Gamora." He ordered.

Nikolai reluctantly nodded and left the cell.

Thanos turned back towards Gamora, looking at her with disdain.

"My child. Why do you do this?"

Gamora lifted her head once more and glared at him.

"You are not my father. You are a monster." She said, her voice hoarse.

"After everything I have done for you?"

"You have done nothing for me. You made me a weapon and used me for your own sadistic ways. You ruined my life."

* * *

Nikolai walked outside towards the courtyard, his blood boiling at what Nebula had done to Gamora. Gamora was his friend. She had always been like a little sister to him. He had made so many promises to her and he broke them.

Not intentionally, of course.

As he walked out of the view of his "home" he saw a strange group of people approaching from the distance.

_Must be them. 'The enemy' _He thought, and cautiously approached them, holding his hands up in surrender.

"Who the hell are you?" Rocket asked, looking at him with contempt, a gun aimed at him.

"I am Nikolai. A friend of Gamora's, but I am the one that actually brought her here."

Rocket scoffed, "Some friend."

"Please. Come with me and I will explain."

Peter nodded reluctantly before turning to the others, "Rocket and Groot, set up a distraction. Drax, with me." He ordered, and the group dispersed. Rocket and Groot went in the opposite direction from where Peter, Drax, and Nikolai were going.

"Stay here." Nikolai ordered, making them crouch down behind some rocks and old stones as Nikolai approached the two guards at the gate.

"Nikolai, what brings you here?" One of the guards asked, looking at the younger man in confusion.

"Thanos has ordered me to take over for the two of you." He lied, daring either of the two guards to challenge his answer.

The guards looked at each other in confusion before they looked back at Nikolai and nodded before heading off. Nikolai waited until the two guards disappeared around the corner before he turned back to where Peter and Drax were hidden, nodding as his way of saying it was all clear.

The three men went inside. The place was similar to that of a castle, but creepier and not as friendly as one would think.

"I must apologize. I did not know what Nebula would do."

"What do you mean?"

"Gamora is injured. She grows weaker with each minute that passes."

Hearing those words, Peter felt his heart stop at the thought of Gamora being as hurt as Nikolai claimed. It was like the plant accident all over again.

"Where are you taking us?" Drax asked as Nikolai led them through a series of hallways, still not completely trusting the young soldier.

"To a secret passage way that no one, not even Thanos and Nebula know about. Only Gamora and I know of it. You two will stay here and I will get Gamora and bring her to you." Nikolai said as they came to a dead end, lifting out one of the stones in the wall to reveal a small panel of numbers. Nikolai punched in a code and the rest of the stones moved out of the way to reveal a steel door, which, after putting in another code, also opened to reveal a passage.

"Damn." Peter said, entering the dark passage as the door closed and the stones moved back into place, closing them in.

* * *

Nikolai quickly stopped at his own sleeping quarters before going to Gamora's cell, taking off the chain that held the ring and grabbing a piece of parchment, scribbling a note and putting it in an envelope with the chain before he put it in his pocket before heading down to the cells.

He reached the cell just as an explosion went off, sending dust particles and small stones down from the ceiling above them. He opened the cell door with a sense of urgency.

"Sir, it's him." He said, looking between Thanos and Nebula, noting how reluctant they were to leave Gamora, "Go on. Ill keep an eye on her." He added, nodding towards the door.

Thanos nodded and left with Nebula following behind.

As soon as they were gone, Nikolai kneeled down to Gamora.

"Gamora, get up. We do not have much time."

Gamora painfully and slowly sat up so her back was against the wall. Both her hands were tied together now rather than free like they had been when Thanos had dismissed him. He cut her free of the bonds with his knife, the skin of his hand grazing hers, which made her flinch and look at him, almost like she was afraid. He pressed the palm of his hand to her forehead. Gamora was as cold as ice.

Sighing, he took his cloak off and wrapped it around her as if it was a blanket and pulled her to her feet. As Gamora tried to put pressure on her feet, her knee nearly gave out on her and she would have fallen back to the floor had Nikolai not caught her. He wrapped his arms around her and half carried her out of the cell and through the corridors. The ex-assassin was stumbling, a clear indicator that a bone in her leg was broken and her knee was obviously dislocated along with some torn nerves and ligaments.

As soon as they got to the secret passage way, Nikolai was relieved. Amazed that he was able to get her this far without being seen. As the steel door opened, he saw Peter's relieved expression and passed Gamora off to the former ravager.

"P-Peter?" She asked, her eyes almost lighting up when she saw her boyfriend. Almost. Her eyes were half closed and she looked exhausted, like she might pass out any minute. She was bleeding in so many places that it alarmed all three of the men.

"Theres another door at the end of the corridor. It will lead you outside to the halls where you can leave towards the main gate. The code is 3183. Once you get out to the other corridor, take a right, a left, and another right to get outside and to the main gate. I'll open the gate." Nikolai said, taking the note out of his pocket and holding it out to Peter, "Give this to her when she is well. Will you?"

Peter nodded and took the note, putting it in his own pants pocket as Nikolai took his cloak off Gamora, figuring Peter's jacket would do a better job at keeping her warm as Peter put the red leather jacket on Gamora.

"Thank you." Peter said, picking up Gamora bridal style as he turned to Drax, "Let's go."

They started to leave when Nikolai stopped them.

"Peter?"

Peter turned his head to look at Nikolai inquisitively.

"Take care of her. She's like a sister to me."

Peter nodded and turned once more, walking through the dark passage way as Nikolai watched them disappear from sight before he too walked in the opposite direction.

**A/N: Let me know what y'all think! Please review :)**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry I haven't updated in awhile. I haven't been feeling very well lately. So, sadly there isn't a lot of confrontation in this chapter, I was running out of ideas. Yeah. It's sad. Enjoy.**

Nikolai ran through the dark corridors, hoping to reach the panels before Nebula had a chance to get to them. If she hadn't already gotten to them. He knew Thanos would be hiding away like the coward he was, which meant there would be two or three guards with him at all times. Nikolai slowed his pace and saw Nebula had already beaten him to the panels.

Nebula glowered at him, "You fool! You were supposed to be guarding that traitorous little_"

She didn't get a chance to finish before he ran at her and kicked her feet out from under her, climbing on her the same way he had when he ambushed Gamora, putting a knife to Nebula's throat.

"Finish that sentence. I dare you." He seethed, the dagger still pressed to the other assassins throat. Nebula smirked at him.

"You always did have a small crush on her. It must kill you to know that she's a_"

Nikolai didn't give her a chance to finish that sentence before he took his knife and jammed it into Nebula's shoulder, pinning her to the ground. He got up and kicked her in the side and face, heading over to the panel. He started to punch in the code, hoping by now that Drax, Peter, and Gamora got to the gate with as little confrontation as possible.

He finished punching in the code and already had his hands on the green cylinder, preparing to remove it and open the doors when he felt a sharp pain in his back. Nikolai spit out blood into his free hand, but continued to take the cylinder out regardless before he and the object both collapsed to the ground, a knife protruding from his back.

Nebula knelt down to where he lay and grabbed him roughly by his shoulder, turning him over onto his back so he had to look at her and pulled the knife out of his back with the other hand.

"You would rather help a traitor escape? Should have guessed it was only a matter of time before you betrayed us too."

"Your own...sister." He choked, his barely conscious red eyes boring into her dark blue ones. Nebula didn't say anything until after she took hold of his knife and slid it across Nikolai's throat.

"She's not my sister anymore."

* * *

Peter finally got to the main gate.

"Drax, cover me." Peter ordered, tightening his grip on Gamora.

"Cover you with what?"

Peter sighed, "It means watch my back!" He snapped and entered the courtyard with the other man following closely behind, moving with a slight jog.

"Well, look what we have here." A females voice said from behind them.

They turned as Nebula finally came into view, walking passed them before she finally turned her gaze.

"I wouldn't bother. She's going to die either way." Nebula said, gesturing to Gamora with a nod of her head, a look of disgust on her features. Nebula had blood on her clothes and her hands, which could only mean that she more than likely killed Nikolai.

Nebula started walking towards them, a steely glare fixated on the three, only taking it away when she heard a voice from behind Peter.

"Not if I can help it!" A voice said, and Nebula was blasted to the side, hitting a stone pillar before she dropped to the ground.

_I'm getting a weird sense of deja vu. _Peter thought, turning to see Rocket perched on Groot's shoulder holding his gun.

Rocket and Groot joined them and turned to look at Nebula.

"She'll live. Unfortunately she's going to wake up. In what condition? I can't say." He explained, shrugging.

With no time to waste, they made their way back to the Milano.

* * *

Once back to the Milano, Peter went to his room and sat Gamora down on his bed, taking his jacket off of her small figure and carefully lifted her shirt up to assess the damage. She had various bruises and abrasions on her torso. Peter gently started to press his hands on her abdomen, moving his hands up inch by inch, feeling for any broken bones and orgens.

A hand grabbed his own.

He looked up to meet Gamora's frightened gaze.

"Hey, it's okay. You're safe." He assured her, brushing a strand of Gamora's dark hair our of her face. The assassin visibly relaxed and let go of Peter's arm, allowing for her eyes to drift shut once more as he continued to lightly press his hands on her torso.

As he reached her just below her ribs, he heard her take a sharp intake of breath and groan.

"Stop," She choked, keeping her eyes shut tightly, "It hurts."

"Where does it hurt?" He asked, concern etched into her features.

Gamora lifted a weak hand and gestured from the area around her navel up to her chest.

"I can't...breathe." She gasped, trying to take a breath. Peter could tell that she was struggling to even take a breath at this point, a tear slipping down her cheek from the corner of her eyes. She wasn't as green as she usually was and it was scaring him. He could tell that Gamora had at least three broken ribs, if not more. It was also very likely that she had some internal bleeding.

That would mean another stay at the hospital and although the nova corps paid for Gamora's stay the last time, he doubted they'd be generous this time around, less than a month after the incident with that plant.

"Rocket! Bring me the first aid kit!" He called, turning to see that Rocket was already standing behind him with the first aid kit.

"Thanks." He said, returning his attention to his girlfriend, who had once again passed out.

"Hey, Gams. Wake up. I know you want to sleep right now, but you can't. Not yet." He said, opening the small metal container and taking out a roll of gauze.

"Drax, hold her up for me." He said, noticing that everyone was now in the room. Drax nodded and gently grabbed both of Gamora's arms and lifted her upper body up.

Gamora groaned in response to the sudden movement.

While Drax held Gamora upright, Peter wrapped the gauze around her torso, starting at just above her navel and ending just below her breasts.

"Okay, now set her down. Gently."

Drax nodded and did as he was instructed, putting Gamora back into a lying down position as gently as possible.

Sighing, he took the silver dagger and cut the fabric of Gamora's black, leather pants at her mid thigh, taking the fabric away. Her knee was swollen and it looked to be twisted at an odd angle that, although he wasn't a doctor, he immediately knew it was dislocated. She also had several abrasions on her legs as well as the rest of her body, and blood that they didn't know where it was coming from.

"She needs a doctor, Quill." Rocket said, climbing onto the bed.

"Set a course for Xandar and get some more blankets and towels. She's as cold as ice and we need to stop the bleeding." He ordered, running his hand through his brown hair.

If she died, it would be his fault and he knew it. He loved Gamora and he knew that he was never going to let her go. Peter was determined to even marry her one day, maybe even start a family with her.

Rocket handed him some spare blankets and some towels. Wrapping the towels and the blankets around her like a cocoon.

"Already done. We should be there within the next hour at the speed we're going."

"I am Groot." Groot said from the door way, causing for Rocket to jump off the bed and leave the room, leaving Peter with an unconscious Gamora.

Peter placed a hand on Gamora's forehead, kissing her on the lips as he did so.

"You're going to be okay."

**A/N: Let me know what y'all think. Please review :)**


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated in awhile. I've been super busy with school, but i'm back now! So I hope y'all like this chapter. Enjoy.

As soon as they got to the hospital, Gamora was taken from Peter's arms and rushed to another area that was closed off from other patients for privacy purposes as they examined her, leaving her friends and boyfriend in the waiting room.

Nove Prime had met them in the waiting room as soon as Dey had given her the word that they had once again admitted Gamora to the hospital.

"I just don't understand why Nebula wants this necklace so badly." Peter said, looking at the older woman that was sitting across from him.

"She's power hungry. She wants power and wants to kill Thanos with it. She won't stop until she gets that power." She explained with a sigh, "I just can't believe Gamora gave it to a Terran."

"Gamora gave it to someone that she trusts. You and I both know that she doesn't trust a lot of people and she wouldn't have given it to Maria, let alone SHIELD, if she didn't trust them."

* * *

Meanwhile, the doctors were fussing over Gamora after taking several test, including but not limited to; a CT scan, MRI, X-Rays, and several blood tests.

"She needs an immediate surgery. We need to stop the internal bleeding and to do that we need to remove the ruptured spleen and drain the fluid from the collapsed lung." Dr. Camara said, placing a tube in one of Gamora's chest cavities where the collapsed lung was before she placed a breathing tube down the assassins throat, "She's also going to need surgery to repair the ligaments and nerves in her knee. We need to move quickly." She added, nodding to her companions as they wheeled her off to an OR.

"What the hell should we do then? That jackass isn't going to avoid Earth forever." Rocket snapped, sulking in his chair next to Groot.

Nova Prime nodded, "Yes, but my main concern right now is for Gamora's health. We'll worry about it when she is well." She said as she got up, giving one last look at them before turning on her heel and leaving the waiting room.

Peter sighed and got up out of his chair and began pacing for what seemed like hours before he suddenly stopped. Peter gave one look at his friends.

"This sucks! Why her!?" He yelled, punching the wall in the process.

"You must be calm, Peter." Drax said, his voice strangely calm as he shared a sympathetic look with Rocket and Groot.

"How the hell can I be calm when Gamora's life is hanging by a thread?" He asked bitterly, walking back to his seat and sitting down with his head in his hands.

None of them really knew what Peter meant by 'hanging by a thread' but decided that it was best not to ask considering the circumstances.

"I am Groot."

Rocket looked at Groot before he sighed and looked at the half-terran, "Groot's right. Gamora's a fighter and this is a fight that she isn't going to lose." Rocket agreed, climbing onto Groot so his face was level with Peter's.

"You need to stay positive. If it were you, Gamora would not give up on you as easily as you are doing to her." Drax said, sighing.

It was true and Drax was right. If it was him that was dying Gamora would commit a mass murder and it wasn't fair of him to doubt her survival.

* * *

They sat in silence for the next six hours when Dr. Camara approached.

"How is she?" Peter asked, rushing over to the doctor.

Dr. Camara sighed, "She had a ruptured spleen, a collapsed lung, all of her ribs are broken, massive internal bleeding, and several torn ligaments from her dislocated knee...and a concussion. We removed the ruptured spleen and managed to stop the internal bleeding and drain the fluid from her lung. We also put her knee back into place and repaired a good majority of the ligament and nerve damage."

"Will she be okay though?" Peter asked, a hopeful tone in his voice.

The doctor sighed again, "Please come with me, Mr. Quill."

Peter nodded and followed Dr. Camara all the way to the intensive care unit of the Xandarian hospital where Gamora lay with a ventilator helping her breath and a tube in her chest area. She had a leg brace that would help with the healing of her knee and an IV in her arm. She also had red, blue, and yellow wires attached to her scalp.

"What are the wires for?" Peter asked, raising an eye brow at her.

"The reason the surgery took as long as it did was because infection had already started to spread due to her ruptured spleen. She may need another surgery because it's likely that the internal bleeding may start again. As for the wires, she has a brain injury which was caused by the force of which she hit her head. We don't have much to go on at this point until the other test results are finished. It's a little soon to tell, but if she wakes up, we're confident that she will make a full recovery."

Peter's eyes widened when the doctor said 'if', "What do you mean if she wakes up?" He asked, his blue eyes looking at the doctor in concern, knowing that the bad news was coming.

"Mr. Quill, we don't know if Gamora will survive the night."

A/N: Let me know what y'all think! Please review :)


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: So, first off, I would just like to thank you guys so much for favoriting, reviewing, and following this story! It means so much to me and it immensely boosts my self esteem when I see such positive comments! Thanks so much :) so without further ado, enjoy!**

Gamora saw only darkness, which told her she must be asleep.

Am I dying? She thought, knowing deep down that she was. The woman could hear what everyone was saying, but her green eyes refused to open.

"If she expects to live, she better start fighting." She heard a woman tell someone. She felt someone place a cold, gentle, hand on her forehead.

"It's her choice in the end. If she dies or if she lives...it's her choice." Another woman said, taking her hand off Gamora's forehead.

I am trying. Gamora thought.

* * *

Not long afterwards, she heard a rapid beeping sound and felt her pulse slowly fading away. She could hear Dr. Camara shouting orders at the other doctors and nurses in the room.

"Get the AED." She ordered, rushing to Gamora's bedside and began to do chest compression as the beeping was reduced to just one flat line. She rubbed the two charges together.

"Clear!" She shouted, pressing them to Gamora's chest.

They waited. Nothing.

"Increase the charge." She ordered, and the nurse didn't have to be told twice as she upped the charge.

"Clear!" She shouted again, once more shocking Gamora in an attempt to jump start her heart.

Dr. Camara nodded at the nurse once more, who once again increased the charge.

"Clear!"

They waited for what seemed like hours before the slow, steady beep returned, signalling that she was once again breathing.

"We need to perform more tests and get her to the OR. Now."

* * *

Peter was back out in the waiting room after talking to Dr. Camara, letting his friends know what was happening.

"She's going to be alright." Rocket said, reaching one of his paws up and placing it on his arm.

"I don't know. Dr. Camara said that fewer than fifty percent survive this type of infection."

"Yes, but that gives her an equal chance of survival." Drax said calmly, nodding his head to where a different doctor stood.

"Hello. I'm Dr. Orianthi Tulsa." She said, shaking Peter's hand.

"What's wrong? Is everything alright?"

Dr. Tulsa gestured for him to take a seat, which he did.

"We did some more tests, including an echocardiogram and Dr. Camara is bringing her to surgery right now as we speak. She has pericarditis. We suspect the infection from her ruptured spleen has made it's way to the areas around her heart and lungs." She said, sighing, "Which also means that cardiac temponade is very possible. Excess fluid puts pressure on the heart and doesn't allow her blood to pump properly. Less blood leaves the heart, which caused her to flatline due to her dramatic drop in blood pressure." She explained, sitting down next to him.

"So what's next?"

"Nothing"

Peter gawked at the doctor. Never had he heard a doctor say those words before. Even when his mother was dying in the hospital, the doctors didn't give up on his mother until her last dying breath.

"What do you mean?"

"After this surgery, there's nothing much we can do for her. We can keep her comfortable, but if she decides to let go and give up, there's very little. The odds of her making it now are at less than twenty-five percent."

"But you can't just stand by and do nothing! It's like you don't even..."

Dr. Tulsa cut him off, standing up and brushing a strand of dark hair out of her face before she turned to him.

"I am sorry." She said, giving him a sympathetic look before she made her way back in the direction of the ICU.

Peter said nothing but took off at full speed and through the various hallways of the hospital before he found the stair well.

He made it up to the roof in record time, slamming the door behind him as he began to hyperventilate, his hands gripping the railing so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

The former outlaw took some deep, shaky breaths which sounded as though he were gasping for breath.

Peter put his head down and cried.

**A/N: Let me know what y'all think! Please review :)**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Hey guys! So someone was kind enough to point out that Gamora's eyes are brown, not green. Thank you for that, I only said they were green because that was the color they were in the comics, but I can also go by the movie if you would all like! Also, the scenes with Gamora in the hospital, someone pointed out that it seemed like an Agents of SHIELD episode when Skye was on life support. To be honest I actually forgot about that episode and blocked it out of my memory because that was probably my least favorite episode. But it was mainly coincidence that it turned out that way haha. Enjoy.**

Gamora was finally out of her surgery now and the others had been allowed into the ICU to see her.

"Can she hear us?" Drax asked Dr. Camara, who was looking over Gamora's chart.

"Most likely. If you talk to her it will help encourage her to wake up." She said before she put the chart back on it's clip at the foot of the bed, "I'll be back soon to check on her. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to have the nurse at the reception desk page me over the PA system." She added, turning and leaving the room.

Peter gently took Gamora's hand in his own, "Gamora, I know you can probably hear us," Peter began, his voice cracking, "Rocket is here and so are Groot and Drax." He added, nodding to the three to at least give some indication they were there.

"I am Groot."

"Yeah. What Groot said. Stop being a jackass and wake up already so we can get out of here." Rocket grumbled before he hunched his shoulders and slinked out of the room with Groot following behind.

"He just cares. We all do." Drax said before he turned and followed the raccoon and the tree.

Peter sighed, "We all care about you, Gamora. And I love you so much that I will do whatever you want when we leave here. Visit any planet you want. Saturn maybe? I know you've always wanted to go there. Or Asgard maybe? What do you say to that?" He asked, tightening his grip on Gamora's hand.

All he wanted was to see her beautiful eyes open again. He wanted her to pick fights with him, heck, he wanted to see her get drunk again.

"I've lost so many people in my life that I care about. If you die, I won't be able to live with myself. I want to marry you, Gamora. I don't see myself with anyone else but you." He said, resting his head on the edge of the hospital bed.

He wanted so badly for Gamora to defy the odds and wake up right here, right now.

That was all he thought about as he let his eyes close and he succumbed to sleep.

* * *

"I am Groot?"

"I doubt she's going to make it, Groot." Rocket said solemnly, sighing as Drax pet him on his head, something that he hadn't done since their fight with Ronan.

"We can't lose hope. I have faith that Gamora will pull through." Drax said as he continued to stroke Rocket's fur. Surprisingly, Rocket welcomed the comfort.

"I am Groot."

"Yeah yeah. Whatever."

* * *

Peter awoke at the crack of dawn the next morning, a mere fourteen hours since they brought Gamora here and eighteen since they rescued her from Titan. He rubbed the sleepiness from his blue eyes and stood up, walking over to the window and watching the sunrise in awe.

I wish Gamora could see this right now. He thought, still marveling at the pink and orange horizon.

The former outlaw was drawn out of his thoughts when the machines started beeping rapidly. His eyes widened as he rushed to his critical girlfriends bedside, noticing that the machines showed that Gamora's heart rate was spiking.

"Someone help!" He yelled frantically out the open doorway of the room as Gamora's heart rate continued to spike, climbing to dangerously high levels as doctors and nurses rushed in.

Before they could do anything or kick Peter out of the ICU, the numbers on the monitor began to drop once more and the beeping became slow and steady. Her heart rate was stabilizing by itself. Something the doctors had never seen before in a patient as critical as Gamora.

What happened next shocked everyone.

Gamora's eyes snapped open.

**A/N: Let me know what y'all think! Please review :)**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Hey guys! So, there's not much to say about this chapter except that Gamora kind of freaks out in the beginning.**

For a moment, Gamora was confused and started to thrash around violently in the bed, trying desperately to rip the IV and tubes out.

"Hey hey! Gamora it's alright! Your safe." Peter said, grabbing her gently and holding her down on the bed until she calmed down so the doctors wouldn't have to sedate her.

When Gamora started to calm down, Peter let go of her and sat back in his seat.

"Gamora, sweetheart? Do you know where you are?" Dr. Camara asked, placing a gentle hand on hers.

Gamora was silent as she tried to cross her arms and glared up at the ceiling. Giving the doctor, Peter, and the other doctor that was in the room her answer.

"Would you like us to take you off the ventilator?" Dr. Tulsa asked softly.

The woman rolled her eyes and nodded her head slightly, earning smiles from the two doctors as Dr. Camara unplugged the ventilator while Dr. Tulsa shimmied the tube out of the assassins throat. Gamora took a deep breath and broke into a coughing fit once the tube was out. Her chest ached and burned with each breath and cough.

"Where am I?" She asked, taking another painful breath.

"You're in Xandar's hospital. Do you remember what happened? How you ended up here?"

Gamora closed her eyes, deep in thought as she struggled to remember how she ended up at the hospital.

"I remember Thanos and Nebula...Nikolai...and that is all." She said, opening her eyes.

Peter sighed, "You were tortured by them. When we brought you here, you had a twenty-five percent survival rate."

"You had a ruptured spleen that actually caused an infection. It spread to the areas around your heart and it became pericarditis. You also had torn ligaments, your torn ACL was more concerning, and a dislocated knee. You had a collapsed lung and all of your ribs are broken. Also brain contusions. Also a broken ankle and massive internal bleeding. Mr. Quill, may I speak with you in the hall?" Dr. Camara asked, nodding her head towards the door way.

Peter nodded and got up, leaving the room with Dr. Camara while Gamora was left in the care of Dr. Tulsa.

* * *

"The brain damage isn't as severe as we believed it would be. However, she will be very confused and her memory has become somewhat affected, but i'm confident that it's only temporary. Everything should come back to her soon."

"Any idea when she can have the chest tube taken out? When can she leave?"

"I would like to run a few more tests and test out her motor skills, such as how well she'll be able to walk with very little assistance. If all of the tests are fine and she can at least walk a little bit, then within a week or two she should be able to leave." She explained, clasping her pale hands in front of her as she gave him a nod and began to walk away.

"Hey, Dr. Camara?"

The doctor turned to look at Peter expectantly.

"Can you tell my friends that she's awake? I think she'll want to see them."

She nodded and turned once more and walked in the direction of the waiting room while Peter joined his girlfriend once more.

* * *

"Where are Rocket, Groot, and Drax?" She asked tiredly as she took a deep breath.

"Somewhere in the hospital." He said as Rocket, Groot, and Drax entered .

"I am Groot!" Groot yelled excitedly as the three gave her a hug.

"About time you woke up, jack ass." Rocket muttered, climbing onto the foot of the bed and sitting down, careful to avoid Gamora's injured leg.

"Are you tired Gamora? Do you require anything?" Drax asked, looking at Gamora inquisitively.

"Some pajamas so I can get out of this horrid hospital gown," She said, gesturing to the blue hospital gown, "Blue is not my color."

"I am Groot?"

Rocket sighed, "The answer to that question is simply; black. She wears nothing but the color black."

Peter sighed, "I'll head back to the ship to get you some pajamas. Drax, Groot, and Rocket will be here to watch you until I get back."

Gamora rolled her eyes, "I am not a child, Peter." She said as Peter gave her a kiss on the lips before he left for the second time that morning.

Gamora sighed and put her head back down on the pillow and she allowed herself to fall into a deep sleep.

**A/N: Let me know what y'all think! Please review :)**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Hey guys! So, i'm sorry this chapter is so short! I just wanted this chapter up and running asap! Enjoy!**

Peter walked back into the room to find Dr. Camara checking over Gamora's vitals checking her blood pressure every so often. This time though, Gamora had an oxygen mask placed over her nose and mouth. Seeing his confused look, the doctor gave him a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry. It's just precautionary. To help her breathe better when she sleeps." Dr. Camara explained.

Peter nodded and went to Gamora's bedside, gently shaking her shoulder, "Gamora, babe, wake up. I brought you some pajamas."

Gamora's brown eyes flickered open.

"Need help getting up?" Dr. Camara asked, giving her a friendly smile as she took the oxygen mask off her face.

Gamora nodded and grabbed Peter's hand with one of her own and Dr. Camara's with the other and slowly made her way to the bathroom. Dr. Camara balanced Gamora while Peter helped her get the black shorts over her leg brace and took off the thin blue hospital gown, putting the black t-shirt over her bandaged torso.

Surprisingly, Gamora could walk pretty well...with a little help anyway. Now it'd only be a matter of if she'd be able to make a full recovery. That would be another story. She got back into the bed and Dr. Camara hooked her back up to the IV.

"See? Told you she wears nothing but black." Rocket said, exasperated as Dr. Tulsa entered.

"Nova Prime is here to see you. Would you like me to bring her in?"

Gamora sighed and nodded as Dr. Tulsa waved her hand, signaling for Nova Prime to enter.

Nova Prime gave Gamora a friendly smile, "Good to see that you're doing well, Gamora. Are you in any pain?" She asked, clasping her hands in front of her and smoothing out her navy blue skirt.

"A little but not as much as you'd think," Gamora said, "It only hurts when I breathe and my ribs." She added, gesturing to her chest and mid-section.

"Why are you here, Nova?" Drax asked hesitantly, wondering what their next mission was, if any.

Nova sighed, "Well, after some debate with Denarian and Rhomann Dey, I've decided on where to send you for your next mission."

"So soon? Gamora can't even leave yet."

Nova nodded in understanding, "Yes, I understand. Which is why it will not start until next month. November."

"Will she even be healed enough by then?" Peter asked, looking at the two doctors who were looking over Gamora's chart.

"Her brain and lungs? Yes. However, her ribs might be, but they will still be very fragile and easier to break. Her knee will take at least six weeks." Dr. Tulsa answered, looking at Peter and earning an approving nod from Dr. Camara.

"But she should be well enough to travel if she takes it easy." Dr. Camara added, giving a friendly smile.

"I am Groot?" Groot asked, which Nova took to mean, 'where do you plan to send us?'

"Well, I know it's not a place with particularly good memories, however_" She started, only to be cut off.

"Just tell us!" Everyone shouted, with Groot cutting in with his 'I am Groot'

"Anywhere but Asgard. Buncha pompous jackasses." Rocket grumbled, crossing his arms.

Nova sighed before looking at the five of them,

"I'm sending all of you to Earth."

**A/N: Let me know what y'all think! Please review :)**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Hey guys! So, here's the next chapter! At the end of this chapter, there's a somewhat mandatory authors note with a couple questions I would like you to answer. Only a couple don't worry haha. Enjoy.**

Everyone looked at Nova as if she had lost her mind and was sending them on a suicide mission.

"Are you crazy!?" Rocket yelled, glaring at her.

"No. I can assure you that i'm not crazy. I have no choice but to send all of you to earth. I apologize for the inconvenience, but we need to protect the skreleton at all cost." Nova said, giving them each one last look before she began to leave, "Oh and don't worry about the hospital bill, Gamora. It's covered by the Nova corps." She added, earning a nod from Gamora as she turned and left.

Oh, this is going to be an interesting mission.

* * *

Over the next two weeks, Gamora worked to get her strength back, mainly in her legs, and each day she was getting more and more of her memory back. She remembered little things about her captivity, if one could even call it that. Such as where she was held and that it was Nikolai who got her out. Peter had yet to give her the note that Nikolai had given him, and Gamora had yet to give any indication that she had heard any of what Peter had said when she was in a coma.

She was finally given the all clear to leave the hospital, refusing the crutches that the doctor offered, only for Peter to take them. Just in case they ended up needing them.

"So, what do you want to do when we get back? Dance? Something good or bad?" Peter asked, wrapping an arm around her, which she shrugged off.

"Sleep." She grumbled, ignoring the hurt look that Peter gave her as she limped ahead of him. She was surprisingly fast for someone with a leg brace, but she had been giving everyone attitude since she had first woken up, even snapping at Groot.

* * *

They got back to the Milano and Gamora started walking towards her bedroom.

"Gamora, you're sleeping in my room." Peter called, sighing as Gamora turned and narrowed her eyes at him.

"Why?"

"Because. Dr. Camara wants you to rest as much as possible until Nova Prime sends us on our mission. Even then if at all possible, and it would be easier to watch you if you were in one place."

Gamora rolled her eyes, "I'm fine with my room."

Peter sighed and followed her to her room.

"What's the matter with you? You've been all grumpy since you woke up." He asked, sitting down beside her.

Gamora got up and walked over to her dresser.

"I just...I just can't do this anymore! Everything I do comes back to you and I put all of you in danger non-stop!" She said, her voice cracking as she threw her hands up in defeat.

"Gamora, I love you and_"

"I love you too, but I don't want you to get hurt. Each day I wonder if I should pack my things and leave."

Peter groaned, "Gamora, yes i'm going to get hurt, but not because of you. We're the Guardians of the Galaxy! We're all going to get hurt. It's part of the job."

Gamora limped over to the bed and sat back down, "Yes, but Thanos and Nebula will always find me. They will find my weaknesses and once they do, they will hurt you. I do not want that." She said, putting her head in her hands.

Peter finally understood. He was her achilles heel, just like she was his.

"Hey, look at me," Peter said, tilting her chin up to force her to look at him, "I'm going to be fine. Don't worry about me. Worry about yourself." He added, giving her a kiss on the lips.

"I love you." Gamora said, putting her head on his shoulder.

"I love you too."

"Oh, and Peter? I've been to Asgard. It is not anything special."

Peter gawked at her, "When was this!?"

Gamora shrugged, "Several years ago. Let us just say that Titans and Asgardians do not get along. My father was constantly bringing me and Nebula with him for negotiations with Odin. Thor was kind...I wish I could say the same for his brother. His brother was...strange. Much more different from him. One of the rare times Thanos showed kindness towards me and my sister." She explained, shrugging once more.

Peter nodded, "Well, with that out of the way, there's something I need to give you and_" He started, only to be cut off by someone banging on the air lock, "What the hell is that?" He asked, going up to the flight deck.

"Who is at the door?" Drax asked, looking up from sharpening one of his knives.

"I am Groot?" Groot asked, looking at Rocket.

"How the hell should I know if we left someone at the hospital!?" Rocket asked, causing for Peter to do a head count.

Everyone was accounted for except for Gamora.

"I am Groot?"

Peter looked around the flight deck to see that Gamora wasn't there.

"She's got a bad leg. She couldn't have gone far."

Just as he said that, a broken voice spoke from behind him.

"Peter." Gamora choked, looking as though she had just seen a ghost.

The rest of the guardians turned to look at the assassin, who was clutching something in her left hand.

A knife.

Peter took Gamora into his arms and helped her sit down in one of the seats and he uncurled her fingers from around the knifes hilt. It was bloody, and the blood looked old but not too old.

The former outlaw finally recognized the knife and why Gamora was so shaken up.

It was Nikolai's knife.

The knife he was killed with.

**A/N: Let me know what y'all think! Please review :)**

**As for the questions...**

**What would you rate this story on a scale of 1-10?**

**1= oh my God this story is so bad just stop now and put us out of our misery.**

**5= eh it's okay. I like it, but it's not my favorite.**

**10= Oh my God I love this story and I never want it to end.**

**And the next question is: Would you like me to end the story in a few chapters or would you like the guardians to go to earth, meet the Avengers, and have the Avengers help them?**

**Please be honest :)**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Hey guys! Here's the last chapter. I know, I'm sad too, but I figured i'd let y'all wait and watch Nebula get beaten in the sequel haha. Enjoy.**

Gamora was visibly shaking as Peter took her down to their lounging area and sat her down on the bed. She was now holding the knife by it's blade, which she may or may not have realized as Peter took the blade from her grasp and grabbed the first aid kit.

Gamora was like a zombie. Staring into space with no indication that she was even aware of what was going on around her, only cringing as Peter cleaned the blood off her hands.

He absolutely hated seeing her this way. He felt as though he was eight years old again, just sitting in the waiting room of the hospital and watching his mother's life slip away. The group were able to comprehend that Nebula must've come to Xandar, found out they were there, and placed the knife somewhere that she knew Gamora would find it.

Now, the question remaining was how the hell she managed to get in.

"Gamora,listen to me." Peter said, his voice soft as he gently took Gamora by her forearms to get her to stop shaking. Well, and to stop her from mumbling, "he's dead" over and over again.

Peter sighed and reached into his jacket pocket,taking out the note.

"Nikolai told me to give this to you. I didnt want to give it to you in the hospital and stress you out any more than you already were." He said, holding it out to her.

Gamora hesitantly took the note and opened it to reveal Nikolai's neat hand writing.

_Gamora,_

_If you are reading this, it means I am dead. I died to help 'the enemy' as your bitch of a sister calls them, but I just wanted you to be safe and happy. Far away from here like I wish I could be. I only had your best interest in heart. You reminded me of the sister I had before Thanos killed my own family, much like yours. When I first met you, you had all the determination and strong will that she had. I remember that we often talked about leaving to make new lives. Go our own ways and have families of our own. Away from Thanos. Just because I can't do that, doesn't mean that you shouldn't._

_You're also a very caring young woman. Something Thanos didn't take away from you. Peter seems like he treats you well. Please be safe._

_Nikolai_

At the bottom of the note revealed the silver chain with the silver ring attached to it. Gamora picked it up and clutched it in her hand as though it were a life line. This necklace was all she had to remember Nikolai by. Her only friend. Her...brother, almost. He protected her when Thanos was away. He helped train her despite being only five years older. He was there when she needed a shoulder to cry on, which was rare but it still happened. And just like that he was gone.

She crumpled up the note and threw it to the side, still clutching the necklace as she leaned her head back on the couch and closed her eyes. She sighed, trying to keep the chairs from falling.

Peter sat next to her on the couch and put an arm around her and pulling her closer to him so she could rest her head on his shoulder.

With his other hand, he scooped it under her legs and picked her up, giving Rocket a look as he tried to say something.

"I am Groot?" Groot asked, looking at Rocket and Drax.

"She's going to be fine, buddy. She's just in a state of grief." Rocket said, his tone actually sounded...sad...almost as if he cared.

Well, Rocket usually had a different way of saying he cared. Like when he says, "You're a fucking dumbass!" He really means, "I love you!" Not in that way, of course. So to hear him say something even remotely sad or understanding was odd to say the least.

"We should make her something to give her our condolences for her loss?" Drax suggested, shrugging.

"I am Groot!"

Rocket sighed, "Ah what the hell. I think Quill bought a Terran cook book and some terran recipe ingredients and crap awhile back." He said, and went toward the kitchen with the other two following behind him.

* * *

Peter sat Gamora down on the bed and lay down right next to her, stroking her magenta tresses as she rested her head on his chest.

"He was my only friend." She choked, letting the tears fall freely at this point.

"Nah. Not your only friend," He said, giving her a soft smile, "You have me, your oh-so-awesome-boyfriend, the maniac, the trigger happy raccoon, and a tree that walks and says only three words out of the english dictionary."

Gamora looked up at him as he wiped the tears from her face and gave a weak smile.

"No. You're not my friends."

Peter raised an eyebrow, taken aback, "Oh? Then what are we?"

Gamora gave him a kiss before putting her head back on his chest.

"My family."

Before Peter could respond, a loud crash and the sound of cursing came from the direction of the kitchen. He got up, telling Gamora to stay where she was due to her leg and walked up the small set of stairs and into the kitchen.

Oh it was a sight to see. Rocket struggling to get out of Groots grasp as he tried to kill Drax. Rocket was covered from head to toe in a batter, white liquidy substance and looked as though he was about to kill someone.

Drax was holding a Terran mixer and in a bowl was the same substance with ingredients to chocolate chip cookies in it.

"Drax, you idiot! You were supposed to put it on the lowest setting!"

Yeah. They were family alright.

**A/N: Let me know what y'all think! Please review :)**


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